Typewriter machine



Nov. 12, 1940 T. J. PAXTON TYPEWRITER MACHINE Filed May 5, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l f Jzwe/Z P4752 012 z fiw Nov. 12, 1940. T. J. PAXTON TYPEWRITER MACHINE Filed May 5, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 12, 1940. 'r. J. PAXTON TYPEWRITER MACHINE Filed May 5, 1937 s Sheets-Sheet s 7 Mm a Patented Nov. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The invention herein disclosed pertains to typewriters and, more particularly, to a device adapted to align or square the top margin or edge of one or more sheets of paper with the platen axis and to set the top printing line square with each sheet top and its side edges and at a predetermined distance with respect to each sheet topedge. While a model K. H. M. Royal typewriter carriage and associated parts have been chosen for exemplification of the invention, certain of the aspects of the invention are of broader application and, with or without change, may be incorporated in typewriters of other manufacture.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive yet reliable and efiicient mechanism for aligning or squaring the top marginal edge of one or more sheets of paper or the like, with the axis of the platen so that, for instance, the printing lines on each sheet will run parallel with the top margin or at right angles to a side margin of each sheet.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an arrangement whereby the sheet or sheets of paper may be held or maintained in aligned or squared position after being aligned or squared. In other words, the construction and arrangement are such that serious defects in certain prior devices for squaring paper sheets, for example, failure of such devices to maintain the sheet or sheets in squared relation after initial alignment, are wholly avoided and eliminated.

Still another object is to provide a simple cam mechanism, cooperative in timed relation to mechanism for separating the feed and platen rolls, for arresting and aligning or squaring one or more sheets of paper or the like, being inserted for printing, and cooperative in time delayed relation to the return of the platen and feed rolls to a normal or paper feeding association, for maintaining the paper sheet or sheets in aligned or squared position until the paper has been securely clamped in such position by the normal paper feeding association of the, platen and feed rolls.

Many other objects as well as the several features, the advantages, and the uses of the invention will be understood and appreciated after reading the following description and claim and Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partially in section, and taken along the line IIII of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are sectional Views of a fragmental nature, taken along the line IIIIII of Fig. 1; these figures showing different stages 5 of operation of the paper stop, certain rolls and associated mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a detailed view, partially in section on the section line VII-VII, of one of the forward feed roll operating levers and associated cam;

Fig. 8 is a detailed View partly in section on the section lines VIII-VIII of one of the rear feed roll operating levers and associated cam, and 15 Fig. 9 is a detailed view in plan of a rock or cam shaft showing the edge of a sheet of paper engaged with the paper stops.

Referring more particularly to the embodiment shown for illustrative purposes in the drawings, the carriage comprises transverse end frame members 2 (one only shown), joined and spaced by various longitudinal members, including tabulating bar 3, margin setting bar or rack 4, a connecting bar 5, a frame member 6 upon which the paper table f is pivotally mounted, a cam or rock shaft 8 and an upper carriage rail 9. A platen II is pivotally mounted at its ends in the frame members 2 in the usual manner and has hand grips l2 for manual rotation of the same although it is provided with a. ratchet (not shown) for advancing the sheets of paper to be printed, by one, two or more lines, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

The usual carriage release lever 13 is pivotally mounted upon a pivot 14 on the transverse frame member 2, but since it has no connection per se, with the invention, it will not be further described. A paper pan or apron I 5 secured to the frame member 6, at which place it lies flush with the paper table 'I, is extended forwardly beneath the platen II and serves to guide the forward edge of the advancing sheet or sheets of paper around the platen and from the rearward feed roll to the forward feed roll as will more clearly appear hereinafter. This apron is curved transversely and extends substantially throughout the length of the platen.

The frame member 6 is provided with lugs l6, one adjacent each end, upon which rear feed roll levers ll are pivotally mounted as at I8. The levers E! are notched as shownat l9 (see Fig. 8) to provide bearings for a shaft 2| carrying the rear feed roller 22. Leaf springs 23 rigidly Figs. 8 and 6, where they are inoperative.

or more coil springs anchored each at one end to camshaft and cams 26 are cut away to provide a dwell portion 28 against which the upper surfaces 29 of the cam follower tongues 25 are adapted to rest when the rear feed roll 22 is in cooperative association with the platen I I. When the cam shaft is rotated or rocked in one direction by the release mechanism hereinafter described to release the feed roll, the cam follower tongues 25 are moved from engagement with the dwell portion 28 to a position such as that indicated in Fig. 8 thereby swinging the lever I! about its pivot I8 and moving the feed roll 22 to a position such as that indicated in Figs. 3 and 6. The feed roll 22, because of its close proximity to the cam shaft 8, may be cut away as at 39 to provide clearance for certain paper stop devices to be described hereinafter, but if the design of the machine permits, the cam shaft and feed roll may be so spaced as to avoid the necessity of cutting away the portions 39. I

Pivotally mounted as at 3i on suitably spaced lugs 82 which may be integral with the upper carriage rail 9, are two, three or more bell crank levers 38, one arm of each of which is notched out as indicated at 34 to provide a trunnion for a shaft 85 of a front feed roller 36. The opposite ends of levers 33 have cam follower surfaces adapted to cooperate with cam surfaces or dwells 38 and 39 formed on the cam shaft 8 as will more clearly appear from Fig. 7. When the cam shaft 8 is rocked, counter-clockwise, viewing Fig. 7,

the cam follower surface 37 moves from the dwell 38 over the dwell 59 to the position shown thereby moving the front feed rolls 88 from the dotted line position where they cooperate with the platen roll II, to the full line position such as shown in Two a post 42 secured to the upper carriage rail 9 and at its other end to a post 43 secured to a lever 33, serve to urge the levers 83 about their pivots in such direction as normally to press the forward feed rolls 38 toward the platen roll. It will now be apparent that when the cam or rock shaft 8 is rotated in one direction, the rear and forward feed rolls 22 and 365, respectively, will be moved away simultaneously from the platen roll thereby to permit the insertion and withdrawal of one or more sheets of paper therebetween.

In order to rock the cam or rock shaft 8 a single lever 44 is pivoted upon the transverse frame 2 upon a pivot screw 45 and has a segmental gear 46 adapted to mesh with a segmental gear 41 firmly secured to the outer end of cam shaft 8.

The lever 44 is provided with a projection 48- which serves as a stop to limit the movement of lever 44 from the full line position to the extreme forward dotted line position shown in Fig. 2. The cams are so formed and arranged on the cam shaft 8 that when the lever 44 is pulled forward to the extreme forward dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, the feed rolls 22 and 36 will have been moved to their extreme positions away from the platen roll I I.

Mounted upon the cam shaft 8 in between the ends thereof but in relatively widely spaced positions are a pair of paper aligners or stop members 49, one right. hand and the other left hand,

although they may be made substantially identical to avoid the necessity of making them right and left hand. Two members 49 have been shown but any desirable number may be used; furthermore, the spacing between stops 49 may be determined by the width of the card or other sheet of material inserted into the typewriter. Each paper stop 49 has a boss or collar portion 5 I a flat top surface 52 against which the forward or advancing edge of each sheet of paper is adapted to engage and an upwardly projecting lip portion 53, the purpose of which is to prevent the marginal edge of a sheet of paper from inadvertently sliding off of the surface or edge 52. The collar or boss 5| is adapted rotatably to fit upon the cam shaft 8 which at this location is cut away as indicated at 54. An adjustable set screw 55 provided with a lock nut 56 is disposed through the collar with its inner end projecting into a slot provided by a cutaway portion 54. Each paper stop, therefore, is permitted to rotate with respect to the cam shaft 8 to a limited degree determined by the abutment of the inner end of screw 55 with opposite end portions of the bottom surface of the slot provided by the cutaway portion 54. 1

By adjusting the screw 55 inwardly the amount of relative movement between the cam shaft and the paper stop may be restricted. Also the cut-away section 54 and the adjustment screw 55 provide means to adjust the angle of the'stop faces to 6, each paper stop is engaged by a leaf spring 51 ,which may be secured as by a screw 58 to the upper carriage rail 9 and each stop is provided with dwell portions 59 and 69. 4

The angular positions of the cutaway portions 54 with respect to the cam surfaces or dwells 28 and 38 are such that when the lever 44 is moved from the full line position shown in Fig. 2 to the dotted line position 44a in that figure, the cam shaft 8 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6 and the said rolls 22 and 39 will be moved from their platen cooperative positions as shown in Fig. 5 to their said released positions as shown in Fig. 6. However. owing to the lost motion provided by the cutaway portions 54 in the cam shaft, the set screws 55 will have merely moved relatively from one end of the slots to the opposite end of the slots. In thisposition the paper sheets may be and are withdrawn from or inserted in between the platen and feed rolls without interference from the paper stop members and the cam follower surface 29 will be resting upon a portion 28a of the dwell 28 while the cam follower 37 may be resting upon the dwell 39.

Upon continued forward movement of the lever 44 to the forward dotted line position .shown in Fig. 2, the screws 55 being engaged by the cam shaft 8, the paper stops 49 will be rotated with the cam shaft to the position illustrated in Fig. 3

where the surface or edge 52 will extend substan tially at right angles to the plane of the paper sheet or sheets but slightly angular radially of the axis of the platen roll II. When a sheet of paper is inserted between the feed and platen rolls its advancing or forward edge will come to rest upon the paper stops 49 and against the surfaces 52 which will be in register with oneanother, there-.

by aligning the sheet or squaring its forward edge with the axis of the platen roll and at the same time, setting the sheet in a predetermined position with respect to the printing line.

In returning the lever 44 to the full line position shown in Fig. 2, the cam surfaces 28a and 39 first permit the feed rolls 22 and 36 to return to a position where they may cooperate with the platen roll H during which time the set screws are moved in the slots 54 from their positions shown in Figs. 3 and 6, to their positions shown in Fig. 4. As soon as the feed roll 22 engages with the paper sheet or sheets and clamps the same firmly against the platen ll, so that it or they cannot slip from set position, continued movement of the lever 44 to the rear or full line position shown in Fig. 2 causes the cam shaft 8 to rotate the paper stops 49 through engagement with the set screws 55. When the rotation of the paper stops hasprogressed to the point where the springs 51 are riding on to the surfaces 59, pressure of the springs causes the paper stops to snap around from the position indicated in Fig. 4 to the position indicated in Fig. 6. Rotation of the platen will then carry the paper sheet or sheets through the carriage with their marginal edges even with one another and square with the platen roll or with the machine.

In order to facilitate the insertion of one, two or more sheets of paper, including carbon sheets, it may be desirable to provide an extension 6| for the paper table. This extension may be secured to the paper table I or to a frame 6 or by chips 62 to support the paper sheets in a suitable manner as will be understood. While it is important that the rear feed roll 22 be returned to a paper clamping position prior to removal of the paper stops 49 from the path of travel of the paper through the carriage and around the platen, it is not necessary that the forward feed rolls 36 re-engage the platen before the paper stops 49 are disengaged.

The additional load including the friction that may be imposed upon the cam or rock shaft 8 by the paper stops and springs 51 may require the addition of one or more torsion springs 63 which may be secured by one end 64 of each to a collar 65 in turn fixed to shaft 8 and by their other ends 66 to the carriage rail 9. Then, when the cam or feed roll operating shaft 8 is rotated to move the feed rolls to an inoperative position, the spring will be placed under tension (increased tension if initially tensioned), and will aid in returning the parts to cooperative paper feeding relationship.

While I have illustrated and'described what is a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that embodiment in a particular model of Royal typewriter, it will be appreciated and understood that the invention is susceptible of other embodi ments and of incorporation in other types and makes of typewriter. Consequently, I do not desire to be limited except by the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a typewriter machine, a platen roll, a front feed roll, a rear feed roll, a paper guide between the feed rolls, a rock-shaft below the guide adjacent the rear feed roll, cam formations on the rock-shaft, spring held carriers for the feed rolls engaged with said cam formations and normally maintaining said feed rolls engaged with the platen roll, paper stops having rocking engagement with the rock-shaft, springs frictionally engaged with said stops for resisting their rotation, and an operating lever for rotating said rockshaft from a position wherein both feed rolls are engaged with the platen roll and said stops are out of the path of paper sheets disposed between the guide and the platen to a position wherein the feed rolls are spaced from the platen and said stops are still out of the paper path, and then to a final position wherein the stops are disposed in the paper path and the feed rolls remain spaced from the platen.

' THOMAS JEWEL PAXTON. 

